The media has been softening us up for this possibility by turning the wild and bizarre into the familiar. Since the birth of Dolly, the sheep, cloned in 1997, the tone of discussion over the
prospect of human cloning has dramatically changed. It has gone from a negative response to one of grudging acceptance seemingly over night. Many bioethicists have downplayed talk concerning cloning only the best and the brightest or the beautiful and the smart. They have instead been defending clonal reproduction for humanitarian and compassionate reasons: to treat infertility in couples said to have no other choice and to replace a child who has died. Because of these rare benefits, bioethicists are trying to persuade us to accept the entire cloning concept, leaving out the consequences. All people should realize that research cloning is akin to abortion because the clone is destroyed in the process. What can be said for the sacredness of life?
We cannot be complacent about the issue of human cloning, because the stakes are very high.
Cloning could drastically change the world as we know it. Human cloning, though partially continuous with reproductive technologies, has taken on a whole new perspective when coupled with genetic enhancement and germ line genetic modification which has come to light from the recently finished Human Genome Project. If human cloning is legalized, we face the decision of whether human procreation is going to remain human, whether children are going to be made to order or remain miracles given to us by God through intercourse. Are we willing to agree in part to follow the road of scientific progress to the dehumanized hell of the future? This future could very well hold many genetically perfect humans, making us as real humans stand out as failures in need of refinement or replacement. What a scary thought! This is somewhat of an exaggeration, but is used to paint a picture of what the extremes of the future could be like.
Six states have produced cloning regulations since 1997, when Scottish researchers announced the birth of Dolly, the first cloned sheep. (Dolly was put to sleep this past month because of a progressive lung disease). Michigan became the first state to place a ban on cloning. A Michigan state senator, Mr. Bennet said, “This legislation boils down to one thing: Prohibiting the creation of human life for scientific research. Human cloning is wrong; it will be five years from now; and wrong 100 years from now!” (Governor Engler, 1999, pg.1) Michigan and Iowa ban all cloning, and California, Louisiana, Virginia and Rhode Island ban cloning aimed at producing a child, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (Willing, 2003, pg.2) Since January 1, 2003, legislators in 22 states and houses of Congress have introduced at least 48 measures aimed at banning or regulating the cloning of human embryos to produce children or to advance research. Legislators in Indiana have introduced bills that ban all cloning and also that ban cloning to produce a child (Willing, 2003, pg.2-3).
A hearing last month in Indiana’s House of Representatives was typical of the recent debate on human cloning. Advocates of a cloning ban argued that research cloning is akin to abortion, because the clone is destroyed in the process. They also argued against creating human life as a commodity, even for well-intentioned research. They said permitting research cloning would lead to baby cloning by creating a pool of cloned embryos that rogue scientists could tap. The other side argued that it is humanitarian and that baby cloning can be prevented by strict laws and criminal penalties. “The (committee) chairman asked me if we couldn’t get together on a compromise of some sort,” says Rep. Peggy Welch, a Bloomington Democrat who has proposed banning all forms of cloning. “Ordinarily, I’d jump at the chance, but not with cloning. On an issue as fundamental as this, there just may not be any room to compromise” (Willing, 2003, pg. 3). Even if strict laws or regulations are passed, do you think this will stop some scientists from going underground with their research and experimentation? Probably not all of them, but it would be a good place to start. We as American citizens need to do our part to prevent cloning. We cannot remain complacent. It is recommended to write your state rep. if one feels similarly. Write to those in Congress and express your beliefs.
How do the major religions of our day feel about human cloning? First of all, the Raelian movement may or may not prove that they produced the first cloned human, but the sect can already claim another distinction; it is virtually the only religious group to say this type of human reproduction is okay. Summarizing the current religious attitude against playing God and preserving human life, Philadelphia’s Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua says that creating lives in the laboratory “reduces human beings to mere products of a manufacturing technique. . . The child is produced and wanted not for his or her own sake, but because he or she will carry traits that someone else values” (Ostling, 2003, pg.1)
The conservative Lutheran Church mentioned something very similar in a report last year. Missouri Synod said cloning is “a fundamental assault on the created order of God” taught in the Bible, in which each child is unique (Ostling, 2003, pg.1). Religious thinkers also echo secular thoughts on medical ethics, the 1947 Nuremburg Code, which requires the consent of an individual for experiments of any kind. Of course this is impossible for a cloned child-to-be, and opposes physical and psychological harm to them.
Another example of opposition comes from Rev. Richard Land, social-issues spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention. After noting the premature aging of cloned mammals he says, “Sooner rather than later we are going to be presented with horrific human tragedies coming out of these laboratories” (Ostling, 2003, pg.2). Southern Baptist’s have a resolution that expresses “abhorrence” of cloning, because the Bible “declares that children are a gift from God (Psalm127:3-5) and are to be the offspring of a husband and wife (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:24; 9:1-2), not the result of asexual reproduction (Ostling, 2003, pg.2).
In 2002, Conservative Judaism ruled in favor of research using human embryos, but a spokesman stated this: “We clearly do not want to support reproductive cloning, at least at this stage of development” because it “is neither safe nor effective” (Ostling, 2003, pg.2).
In a U.S. House testimony in 2001, Brigitte Boisselier-a Raelian bishop and Clonaid’s chief executive-said scientists who “were mistaken for Gods in ancient times” created life on earth and “today, we ourselves are on the verge of also becoming creators or Gods.” The group’s creation myth sounds like an X-files story line to most people. Rael, the movement’s leader, claims that cloning is the key to eternal life. Rael also claims that life on earth was created by extraterrestrials through genetic engineering. He says the Bible even has a name for this ET race; Elohim, a word he says has been mistranslated as the word God. The Raelians also claim Jesus was raised from the dead using a cloning technique performed by the Elohim. Of course these claims go against the Bible and Christian belief. The majority of the U.S. is made up of Christians and our country was founded on Biblical principles. These claims alone discredit the Raelian belief and their practices.
Rael was born in France 56 years ago on Christmas day, christened Claude Vorilhon, he says.
He became an auto racing journalist. One day in 1973, while he was visiting a French volcano, he met green space aliens on a flying saucer visit from outer space. The extraterrestrials told him they created all life on earth using genetic engineering. Now, Rael wears flowing white robes and a full beard. The group also wears a silver medallion combining the Star of David and a snowflake, which they say symbolizes infinite time and space (Just Who Exactly Are the Raelians? 2002, pg.1-2).
The group claims to have 55,000 members worldwide. Quebec granted the movement religious status during the 1990’s. Members of the group have distributed condoms among the Canadian teenagers and promote open sexual expression similar to the free-love days of the 1960’s, (Who Are the Raelians, 2002, pg.1-2).
Although scientists may in fact clone a human someday, one thing they will not be able to copy is a person’s soul. Cloning is a violation of God’s law. The Bible reveals that God created us in his image and that He wants a close relationship with us. To attain a relationship with Him we first have to humble ourselves and admit we are not perfect. By cloning a human, we have just tried to make ourselves God. This is an affront to God.
The more advances we make in science, the greater the temptation will be to ignore the moral consequences, because the advances will bring seductive promises of ever-increasing benefits to the human condition. We better quit ignoring these pressing moral issues, because we can be sure that science is not going to wait for us to catch up.
References
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“Cloning” Britannica Student Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 26, 2003, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Dolly the Cloned Sheep Put to Death. (2003, Jan. 14). New York Times. Retrieved Jan. 26, 2003
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Harm Child. USA Today. Retrieved Jan. 26, 2003 http://www.sirs.com
Gibbs (2003, Jan. 13). Abducting the Cloning Debate. Time. Pgs. 46-49
Retrieved March 1, 2003 http://www.sirs.com
Governor Engler Signs Legislation to Ban Human Cloning. (1999). Office of Gov. John Engler
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Just Who Exactly Are the Raelians? (2002). MSNBC. Retrieved Feb. 25, 2003
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Limbaugh (2003, Jan. 3). Human Cloning: It’s the soul, stupid! WorldNetDaily. Pgs. 1-2 Retrieved
March 1, 2003. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30301
Ostling (2003, Jan. 9). Across the Major Religions, Cloning for Human Reproduction Is Denounced. Associated Press. Retrieved Feb. 12, 2003. http://www.sirs.com
Willing (2003, Feb. 25). Clone claim produces flurry of bills. USA Today. Pgs. 1-3 Retrieved
February 28, 2003. http://www.bigchalk.com
Holy Bible, King James Version (1989). Children are a gift from God and are to be offspring of a husband and wife (Psalms 127:3-5, Genesis 1:27-28; 2:24; 9:1-2). Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nashville.